The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)
"Moartea domnului Lazarescu" (original title)

Mr. Lazarescu, a 63 year old lonely man feels sick and calls the ambulance. When it arrives, the paramedic decides he should take him to the hospital but once there they decide to send him ... See full summary »

Director:

Cristi Puiu

Writers:

Cristi Puiu, Razvan Radulescu

Stars:

Doru Ana, Ion Fiscuteanu, Monica Barladeanu

27 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Doru Ana	...	Sandu Sterian
Ion Fiscuteanu	...	Mr. Lazarescu (as Ioan Fiscuteanu)
Monica Barladeanu	...	Mariana
Alina Berzunteanu	...	Dr. Zamfir
Dorian Boguta	...	Ambulantier (as Doru Boguta)
Mimi Branescu	...	Dr. Mirica
Mihai Bratila	...	Dr. Breslasu
Dragos Bucur	...	Misu
Robert Bumbes	...	Robert
Dan Chiriac	...	Medic triaj Spitalui Universitar
Mirela Cioaba	...	Marioara
Laura Cret	...	Medic ecograf, Spitalui Sf. Spiridon
Dana Dogaru	...	Mihaela Sterian
Bogdan Dumitrache	...	Medic, Spitalui Sf. Spiridon
Alexandru Fifea	...	Brancardier, Spitalui Sf. Spiridon

Storyline

Mr. Lazarescu, a 63 year old lonely man feels sick and calls the ambulance. When it arrives, the paramedic decides he should take him to the hospital but once there they decide to send him to another hospital and then yet another... As the night unfolds and they can't find a hospital for Mr. Lazarescu, his health starts to deteriorate fast.

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | paramedic | ambulance | bathroom | diarrhea | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief nudity

Details

Country:

Romania

Language:

Romanian

Release Date:

22 September 2005 (Romania)

Also Known As:

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,880 (USA) (28 April 2006)

Gross:

$79,943 (USA) (22 September 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandragora

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min 153 min (original)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is the first in a series of 6 feature-length films that Cristi Puiu will direct, entitled "Stories From the Suburbs of Bucharest".

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Connections

Featured in The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Episode #1.15 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Cum e oare?"
Performed by Margareta Paslaru

User Reviews

Kafka and Mr. Lazarescu

Winner of the Un Certain Regard in Cannes, is like a version of "E.R" truly realistic, with the good, bad, indifferent, attentive, humble, arrogant, and, above all, human doctors. The title-character is far from being a hero, but that makes it easier to sympathize with him, which is essential here: we really feel like we were Lazarescus, going from hospital to hospital waiting for the help, never being treated properly, and the situation getting worse and worse as times goes by. Puiu's creates a documentary-like atmosphere to an almost Kafka-like situation, and fills the movie with dark humor and moments which can be shocking, but are never there just for that purpose. The entire cast delivers solid performances, specially Fiscuteanu as the remarkable Lazarescu Dante Remus and Luminita Gheorghiu as the paramedic. Reminded me of Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man" (one of his best and certainly the most overlooked), another documentary-like film about a man in a absurd, but also realistic, situation in a system that doesn't care about him. One of the best pictures of 2005.